BleepingComputer.com: Registry Cleaners

Hello, I have a windows xp and I recently had a couple of problems and I think they had to deal with my registry being all messed up. SO there are soo many cleaners out there and I am sure 2 of them screwed up my computer updates and now my nero program.

I can't even set nero up because this setupx pops up saying there are other installations pending upon rebooting, which I did already. Same with the updates. Every time i rebooted the update box would come up and say to reboot. SO I had to disable updates.

So I tried RegCure and i ....sorry right now my automatic updates just popped up saying I need to reboot..even though I disabled it......anyway...I had to restore from RegCure and I got rid of it.

Now I have registrybooter but had to restore that as well bc things still didn't seem right. I still have it though.

Also I have Registry Mechanic and I just got RegTool.

Registry Mechanic I haven't restored yet. I trust it...

So I guess I have 2 questions...first, are the problems dealing with registry problems and can these be fixed? And second, which is the recommended registry cleaner out there?

Sorry if this is the wrong topic....

Update....I went to the Microsoft Update help site and tried both options and it seemed to help, I was actually able to download updates, but just now...the auto update now just came up....darn

Just about everybody, if not everbody, on this site will not recommend a reg cleaner. For the simple fact that they can cause more harm than good. If you are having trouble, have you tried a chkdsk /r yet? You may also want to run sfc /scannow, that's the system file checker, it will check and repair or replace files you need to run windows. You will need a WindowsXP disk in your drive, and probably have to stay there to click the "retry" button. It takes about 40 minutes to run on my computer. After that, if you still have problems with Nero, try reinstalling it and see if that helps.

I'm sure someone else will come along with other, possibly better, ideas and tips...

Thanks for replying! Figures.....I should of never tried to fix this by myself. what's chkdsk /r? check disk? and about the windowsxp disk...I can't find it....as of now...I work til 2 today so I will look again. Thanks

Yup, chkdsk /r is check disk with repair. You will probably have to restart the computer then it will run and fix any repairs.
What is your computer? If it's an HP or something the info may be on the hard drive already since some of these companies put thier..... I can't think of the name right now, but it's thier system restore, kinda, so Windows is on the hard drive in a separate partition...

For both you go to Start, Run, then type in chkdsk /r (make sure there is a space in front of the /)
Start, Run, then type in sfc /scannow (again the space in front of the /)

I have a feeling that it won't resolve the issues that you're having at this point if there's been manual user intervention in the registry, but CCleaner has a great registry cleaner. I have used it for dozens of clients without any known issues, as well as for my own machines. It allows you to back up your registry too as somewhat of a safeguard.

Use at the users own risk of course, and good luck getting it resolved if it isn't already.

so should I try CCleaner first?

If it were me, I would use it to see if it helps at all. That's up to you though and has to be your choice. Back up your computer first though if you do decide to do it, and make sure to back up the registry if you go through with it. That option is part of the cleanup withing CCleaner, and I would recommend saving the registry backup file to a USB flash drive if possible in case something should happen.

If you need assistance getting through the install, setup or running CCleaner I will be happy to help out.

http://www.ccleaner.com/download/downloading

Eric

well I ran it. 600 parts to be fixed....so should I restart after I save my backup to a flash drive?

After you clean things up the first time (the 600 files cleaned) repeat the process over again until you have reached zero items to clean. Save each registry backup in the process. Yes, you can restart once it's done.

Again, this may not resolve the problem if the registry has been edited manually, or if entries have been deleted.


Good luck.

wow had to save 3 times.....600/332/10. Now 0. I really hope this helps. Thank you. I really hope I don't need my windows xp disc...I hope it's on my emachines...I lost mine awhile ago and my friend let me use his this time now he is in California, lol.



Edit: I am still fixing. I restarted again. I restored my back ups from other cleaners so now I had to run ccleaner again. I will restart again.

update: No...still came up. Does this mean I won't be able to install or update anything until this is fixed? There is no way to install these "pending" automatic updates.....I doubt there are any, I think it just thinks there are....and when I restart same thing...comes up again...oo boy, I wish I knew how long it's been doing this...I just realized this about 2 days ago.

Quote

Are you saying that you DO have a retail CD?
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic43051.html

sadly no, I lost it. I actually don't remember my computer coming with a windows xp installer...

Update: I am doing the SCANNOW thing...."Windows File Protection" popped up. So far isn't asking me for anything like a cd. Also I looked on my PC and it says the Home Edition was already preinstalled on my drive...

I too have CCleaner, I let it touch my registry twice, both times it screwed up my computer and I had to do a restore. Therefore, I only use it to scan for malware and tracking cookies...

I will agree with one thing said here... Registry cleaners seem to cause more problems than they are worth. PC users who have no idea about the registry to trust a 3rd party (not Microsoft) to clean their registry are only asking for problems. It's almost like taking your Toyota to Chevy to fix the problem. I say stick with most of the tools already provided my microsoft to troubleshoot your PC before you resort to 3rd party tools with the exception of what the Admins here suggest. (trusted advice)

If you are having a problem with your registry because of the problems the cleaners did I would suggest you restore you PC to an original install (backup your data if needed). If you want after that, do a backup/restore point of your registry/system, then play with registry editors just to see what they say about a clean install. I bet they will still say you have problems. JMO